


The Emperor and the Busy Bee

by WillyFourEyes



Series: Cyan Sky [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Nicknames, Post-Game, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21761107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillyFourEyes/pseuds/WillyFourEyes
Summary: After Byleth and Edelgard return to Garreg Mach to celebrate their victory (and confess their feelings to one another), the new Emperor tries to think of a nickname for her former teacher befitting of their new relationship.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Cyan Sky [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574371
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	The Emperor and the Busy Bee

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the Crimson Flower path, and probably some major spoilers for the rest of the game, too. Maybe.

On the first morning of the Garland Moon, Imperial Year 1186, Byleth was awakened from a deep sleep by a knock on the door of her dorm room. She was used to sleeping longer-than-normal hours after a hard-fought battle, and the one she just finished was the most momentous of her career.

"May I come in?"

Byleth yawned and stretched to gather enough energy to get out of bed.

"Who's there?" she asked. Her vision was fuzzy, but she could still see well enough to recognize her bedroom door even in a half-awake stupor.

"It's me, El."

Byleth recognized the name and the voice almost immediately.

Edelgard von Hresvelg, the last surviving heir of House Hresvelg of the Adrestian Empire.

Once a princess attending the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery, Edelgard now walked its grounds as Fódlan's emperor, the first time the continent had been unified under Imperial rule for several hundred years. To her many subjects, she was known as "Her Majesty", and to her closest friends and family, she also answered to the name "El". Having served as both Edelgard's teacher and field commander, and most recently, the Empire's newest hero, Byleth was among the few allowed to use that nickname, as she had earned Edelgard's trust by fighting at her side throughout many dangerous missions. She would do almost anything for Her Majesty, even allowing the Emperor to enter her private quarters before she had a chance to fully clean them.

"Oh! Sure, you can come in. Just give me a moment."

Even though they were only temporary lodgings while she was still an Officers Academy instructor, Byleth always made extra care to keep her bedsheets clean and her pillow fluffed. Room inspections were rare, but she always felt it necessary to keep up appearances in case someone _did_ choose to enter her room unannounced.

The door slowly swung open. Edelgard was not dressed in her usual emperor's armor and crown, but a loose-fitting blouse and skirt bearing the symbol of Adrestia's black double-headed eagle, an outfit more befitting of one of the academy's students than the supreme leader of the mainland. On her right hand was a ring inlaid with several sapphires, given to her by Byleth the night after the Empire's decisive victory over the Church of Seiros and the Holy Kingdom of Faehrgus. The ring was first passed down to Byleth by her late father, Jeralt "The Blade-Breaker" Eisner, meant to be given to someone she loved the most, just as her father had given to her mother before she died. Byleth had many possible suitors within the Black Eagle Strike Force, but she ultimately chose the woman standing at the door before her.

Edelgard slowly stepped into the room, smiling and waiting for Byleth to turn around. "Good morning, my dear. How are you feeling today? Did you sleep well?"

Byleth, now fully awake and out of bed, stretched once again. "Yes, I did. Thank you for asking."

"I'm glad to hear that," said the Emperor.

A mischievous smile crossed Byleth's lips. "You're allowed to stand a little closer if you want, El."

Edelgard cautiously took a few steps forward.

"A little closer than that..."

Edelgard, wondering exactly what Byleth was trying to do, continued to approach until she and Byleth were standing only an inch away from each other.

"That's better."

Byleth looked into Edelgard's eyes and grabbed her by the waist. It was the closest she had physically been to the Emperor off the battlefield, even after their last meeting at the Goddess' Tower where many couples before them had been formed. Though she had given Edelgard her ring as a pledge of her eternal loyalty and love, Byleth realized she had forgotten to seal her promise with a kiss. Edelgard, whose desire for a companion had long been pushed to the back of her mind as she conducted her war to rid Fódlan of the Church and its influence on the nobility of the Empire and the Kingdom, along with their obsession with maintaining their power through the use of Crest Stones, no longer needed to worry about any of that. Her dream had been realized, and it was largely thanks to Byleth's aid that she could see her vision take shape.

With no one around to lecture her on the impropriety and potential conflict of interest that falling in love with one of her subordinates was sure to bring, Edelgard drew herself closer to Byleth and caressed her cheek with her ring hand. A few tense seconds of silence gave way to the Emperor's left hand meeting Byleth's right cheek, and their lips drawing together to close any remaining gaps between them. It was one of the few lessons neither woman could learn in the classroom or on the battlefield, and the expressions on their faces afterward led them to believe that they passed the test with flying colors on their first try.

Byleth was the first to break the embrace, allowing her hands to drop to her sides. "You know, this is the first time I've seen you in regular clothes," she said.

"I'm not fully used to it yet," said Edelgard. "Ever since I came to the academy, all I've been doing is preparing to fight, fighting, and resting in anticipation of the next fight. This is the first time in years that I've been allowed to break that cycle and just relax. It feels very liberating."

Inspired by Edelgard's casual outfit, Byleth inspected her clothes drawers to see if she had anything relaxing to wear, but all she could find were three different outfits that were remarkably similar to the skirt, tights, and halter top she always wore around the monastery. "Could I borrow some of your clothes then, El?" she asked. "I feel like I could use a wardrobe upgrade myself."

Edelgard started to laugh, but quickly composed herself.

"What?"

"It's nothing," said Edelgard. She looked outside and held one of her hands up to her head so she could watch the sun rise over the river that ran through the monastery. "Say, would you like to go out for a walk before breakfast?"

"Actually," said Byleth, "I was thinking about going to the training grounds for a quick sparring session. I want to make sure I'm not rusty after our last battle, and I want to be ready in case 'they' try to attack us."

The "they" Byleth referred to was a shadowy cult that Edelgard and Hubert only identified as "those who slither in the dark", a group responsible for numerous atrocities across Fódlan both before and during the war. Their leader, Lord Volkhard von Arundel, projected an aura of menace and dread that surpassed even that of Archbishop Rhea. The only reasons Byleth couldn't gut him with the Sword of the Creator the moment she saw him were because he was also Edelgard's uncle, and his group was the only other faction who fully opposed the Church of Seiros, but for reasons that had nothing to do with Edelgard's objective. Neither side got along even as the Empire started to win the upper hand in the war, and Edelgard declared that once her crusade against the Church was finished, Arundel and his cronies would be the next ones to face the Empire's wrath. When Byleth expressed her desire to try to get back into fighting shape, Edelgard's joy of finally being able to express her true feelings rapidly disintegrated into sorrow and frustration.

"No! I won't allow it!" she shouted, raising her voice against Byleth for the first time since Edelgard had last assumed the identity of the masked Flame Emperor. "You should be taking it easy right now, especially since you almost died last time. You may have cheated death once or twice before, but whatever had given you the goddess' power isn't protecting you anymore. You can't keep running all over the monastery at full steam like you used to."

Edelgard's sharp rebuke shook Byleth. Not even a few minutes ago, they had shared their first kiss, and now Byleth was being scolded for putting her body at risk when she didn't need to. There was nothing the former professor could say in response, for she knew in her heart - the heart that started beating on its own for the first time in 25 years - that Edelgard was right. Somehow, Seiros' demise had given Byleth a piece of humanity she had long been missing, but at the cost of the powers granted to her by the goddess Sothis.

Once Edelgard took a moment to calm down, she placed her hands on Byleth's to reassure her that she wasn't going to stay angry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that. It's just that I...I love you too much to lose you so soon. If something were to happen to you on my watch, I don't know what I'd do."

Byleth sighed. She had never seen Edelgard get so worked up over anything before. "No… I should be the one apologizing, Your Majesty. I'll put off my training session until I can get Manuela to look me over."

"Good. Let's start with something slow until we're sure you have your full strength back," said Edelgard. "Would you like to take a walk with me to the greenhouse?"

"I'd love to," said Byleth. "Of course, you'd have to lead the way."

Edelgard shook her head. "How about we walk there, side-by-side?"

"That sounds like an even better idea."

Byleth and the Emperor left the room behind and headed toward the greenhouse near the river, passing the other first-floor dormitories that once housed their comrades. A few Imperial soldiers started talking among themselves as they noticed the duo walking past them. While Edelgard believed there was no point in keeping her relationship with Byleth a secret, she still felt the need to keep affectionate gestures to a minimum while out in public, for gossip tended to spread quickly around the monastery regardless of who was in charge.

"This ring you gave me is very lovely," said the Emperor, holding her right hand out as the sapphires glistened in the sunlight. "I think I'll get you one just like it."

"Really? Thank you!" said Byleth. "But...are you sure it won't be too expensive?"

"After all you've done to help me fulfill my dream, I'd be happy to give you anything you want."

When the duo reached their destination, the head gardener greeted them with a curtsey. 

"Professor! Your Majesty! It's a pleasure to see you both here!" she said. "Would you like to help plant anything today?"

"No, thank you," said Byleth. "We're just here to look around."

"Okay then. I'll stand here and tend to the crops. Be sure to bring some new seeds on your next visit, okay?"

Byleth and Edelgard waved to the gardener and looked around at the flowers in the rear of the greenhouse.

"That reminds me," said Edelgard. "Now that you're no longer my teacher, I can't really call you 'Professor' anymore, can I?"

"I'm used to it," said Byleth. "Everybody was still calling me 'Professor' during the war. I don't think they'll ever stop calling me that. Not that I mind, of course…"

"Well, I was thinking of giving you a nickname that was a little more...personal. You know...to celebrate our new relationship."

"Like what, exactly?"

Edelgard looked up at one of the sunflowers in the center, which had grown taller than everyone in the greenhouse. "How does the name 'Bea' sound?" she asked.

"Fine, I guess," said Byleth, "but...why did you choose that name?"

"I know that's not how your name is actually pronounced… I just thought it would match up nicely with 'El'."

It was a simple mistake to make. Byleth had to remind some of her attendants to think "'why', not 'we'" when pronouncing her first name.

While they took in the sights and scents of the monastery's carefully curated garden, a bee flew toward the largest sunflower. Byleth jumped at the sight, for her forearms were exposed, making her a prime target for stinging.

"I suppose I also made it up because you remind me of a bee in some ways, as well," said Edelgard.

"Really?" asked Byleth.

"Yes. You do spend a lot of time going from place to place, much in the same way a bee flies around until it either stings someone or finds a flower to pollinate."

"I'm not really the 'stinging' type…"

"And like most bees, you're very diligent and thorough with your work. Training our soldiers and generals, making sure morale stays high… Why, I'd say you do the work of a small colony all by yourself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Hearing that from you means a lot to me."

The bee flew out of the greenhouse after completing its business with the sunflower, buzzing a few inches over Edelgard's head. She and Byleth both followed the bee outside, taking care not to agitate it and risk getting attacked.

"Shall we head off to breakfast now?" asked Byleth.

"I like the way you think," said Edelgard. "Let's go...Bea."

The two smiled at each other and chuckled quietly. Byleth wasn't sure how quickly she would adjust to the Emperor's new nickname for her, but if it made Edelgard happy saying it, she would gladly accept.


End file.
